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Dartmoor Gliding News-Saturday 9th June 2018

Today I thought I would start with a big thank you to all of our readers without whom all the effort involved in producing this blog would be for nothing. This blog passed what I consider to be a milestone. The 1300 blog posts have achieved over 300,000 page views. Excellent.

What of today's activities. Well the light winds were from the NE at ground level and somewhat more easterly aloft. Regular readers will know that when the wind has east in it there is a possibility of wave at this airfield. There were definitely signs of this today. A cap cloud was pinned down across the higher Tors to the east. There was a line of cloud sitting more or less North - South over the west end of the airfield.

Looking east into an uninspiring sky. Beginnings of the cap cloud in the distance

Looking west at the same time as the above photo. The cloud laying across the wind

There were largish areas of sinking air, but no real signs of wave lift except for some areas of reduced sink. What we did get, however, were wave enhanced thermals. These small diameter columns and bubbles of lift had astonishing rates of climbs. Lots had 8 knot cores which provided a quick ride to the lowish 3000 foot cloudbase for those pilots who could turn steep enough. The effect was fairly local. Venturing North towards Roadford revealed a rapidly reducing cloudbase, perhaps 1800 feet at the A30. To the south the cloud and wave effects diminished beyond Tavistock.

Approaching the leading edge of the clod

Roger Green's view of the lowering cloudbase heading north in his Zugvogel 3B

Our pilots were up to the task of riding the tight bubbles of lift with 10 soaring flights. The best flight was 2 hours and 40 minutes by Ged and Phil the their Twin Astir. That's the second week in a row that the Twin has had the longest flight. Never thought I would write that. Concrete swan? I don't think so.

Pieter enjoying his flying

Today we were joined by Pieter Auwers for a One Day Course. Pieter enjoyed some good soaring the the K13 with me and spent lots of time learning to flying the aircraft around in the buoyant conditions. We were also joined by Pieter's mother Paddy and Michael Warren-Meek who both enjoyed Air Experience flights with Rick.

Paddy and Rick

Michael and Rick waiting to go.

Once again we are indebted to our winch drivers, Heather on the retrieve, the helpers at the launch point but most of all to the members and visitors alike who had their patience sorely tested while the K13 had a main wheel puncture repaired.